Caught on camera, Tom O’Mara apologizes for outburst

State Sen. Tom O’Mara apologized Tuesday for his outburst at a man who had been peppering him with questions about the lawmaker’s support for the proposed liquified petroleum gas storage facility near Seneca Lake, a project that has drawn the ire of many environmental groups.

The video, obtained by the Times Union, shows a five-minute encounter shot on the evening of Dec. 13. The video is of poor quality, and the Chemung County Republican said he had no idea he was being surreptitiously taped.

The anonymous videographer approaches O’Mara and his wife, who is at the wheel, and asks, “What’s your goal for this area?”

“Prosperity,” O’Mara replies. “Wine, prosperity.”

For several minutes, both men remain civil despite the occasional sharp exchange, as O’Mara makes the argument that the project will help the state balance its energy portfolio. The questioner seems to be baiting him about the potential perils of the proposed facility (“So all the terrible vault collapses and all that, that’s a good thing?”), but the senator remains even-keeled.

“They’ve been doing it there for 50 years,” O’Mara says before providing the man with his Senate email in case he wants to zap him any materials.

About four minutes into the discussion, the lawmaker’s wife leans across to politely defend her spouse.

“We love this area — he grew up here, his whole life, and protects this area,” she says. “He would never, ever, ever support anything that would contaminate this area in any way, shape or form.”

And then things take a turn. “Whaddya mean, ‘That’s interesting’? What the (expletive deleted) do you mean, ‘That’s interesting’?”

O’Mara then delivers a volcanic 40-second rant peppered with profanities as he tells the questioner to back off.

“I’ve had enough of you and your kind!,” O’Mara shouts.

In his statement, O’Mara said his outburst was prompted by concerns over his safety and that of his wife.

“It soon became obvious that this individual’s intent was not to have a brief or friendly discussion and be on his way,” O’Mara said. “Truthfully, it began to feel a little threatening with this person leaning into our car, at close proximity for several minutes and becoming condescending to my wife. My only concern became personal safety and to get this person out of our car and away from us.”

His statement continues:

“In hindsight, and especially in light of the fact that he was surreptitiously recording the exchange, I should not have attempted to respond to an unidentified stranger who was clearly looking to give me and my wife a hard time for his own purposes. He picked the wrong time and the wrong place to pull a stunt — a dimly lit parking lot while leaning into someone’s vehicle to secretly record a conversation without ever truthfully identifying yourself. He may have thought he was just pulling off some kind of a clever trap, but he should understand that there’s no way for us to know his intentions at the time.

“It’s regrettable that the exchange ultimately turned heated and, as an elected official, I regret the words and tone that were used. I still don’t like the underhanded tactics, but I should know better.”

Here’s the senator’s complete statement:

“In my role serving the people of my district, I’m often approached by constituents who have legitimate questions or need assistance. I’m always happy to talk, regardless of the hour or situation. Sadly, you can’t be too sure of everyone’s intentions anymore and so it’s just common sense to stay cautious.

“On the evening of December 13th, my wife and I were approached while getting into our car by someone we did not know, seemingly to ask a question about a sensitive issue. It began cordially and we tried to have a courteous and polite conversation, even though we were in a dimly lit parking lot with a stranger, who never identified himself and who still hasn’t, leaning in my opened car door.

“It soon became obvious that this individual’s intent was not to have a brief or friendly discussion and be on his way. Truthfully, it began to feel a little threatening with this person leaning into our car, at close proximity for several minutes and becoming condescending to my wife. My only concern became personal safety and to get this person out of our car and away from us.

“In hindsight, and especially in light of the fact that he was surreptitiously recording the exchange, I should not have attempted to respond to an unidentified stranger who was clearly looking to give me and my wife a hard time for his own purposes. He picked the wrong time and the wrong place to pull a stunt — a dimly lit parking lot while leaning into someone’s vehicle to secretly record a conversation without ever truthfully identifying yourself. He may have thought he was just pulling off some kind of a clever trap, but he should understand that there’s no way for us to know his intentions at the time.

“It’s regrettable that the exchange ultimately turned heated and, as an elected official, I regret the words and tone that were used. I still don’t like the underhanded tactics, but I should know better.”

I do not understand why everyone, EVERYONE, especially educated elected officials are soooo easy using profanities. Then they apologize for that. You know what? If it’s not something you’d want your constituents to hear, then DON’T use that kind of language, even in your private life! So sick of hearing filth run like so much poop from the mouths of those who should really know better. I’d like to wash Omara’s mouth out with soap. GROW UP!

Somebody is a “kook” because they’re concerned about the construction of a LPG facility near their home? The approach the videographer took was unusual, but citizens aren’t kooks because they want their elected representatives to answer questions. I bet if a Tea Party patriot confronted Tonko on his Obamacare vote, and Tonko wigged out, you all would label Tonko a “nut job” or unfit to hold office.

The objective reality is that one of the salt caverns proposed to be filled with pressurized methane was abandoned for the storage of liquefied petroleum gas by the company that has (on a MUCH smaller scale) been storing gas there for decades. It was abandoned, and new storage capacity developed, at private company cost, because there was a large cave-in of the roof. The current information on the stability or lack of stability of that caved-in roof is classed “proprietary information” and is not available to independent scientists to review.

O’Mara knows this. As for me, I am just another of the “kind” that he is tired of: the “kind” who do not believe the story. He’s my Senator, and I am fairly sure he is lying. But, don’t catch him in it on a Saturday night, or he will, clearly, blow a gasket.

This is the problem with “citizen journalists” they are less interested i an informed response and more interested in provoking angry responses they can use to suggest that the individual’s position must be invalid based upon the angry response they provoked.

It’s called an ad hominim argument and the whole exercise does not qualify as journalism at all.

I don’t agree with O’Mara, but the persona sking teh questions was not not being an honest, responsible journalist, just an instigator.

Sorry Tom. You are a public figure and we get to ask you questions. Perhaps you were tired of safely dancing around his questions. You are purposely avoiding the public outcry against the LPG facility. You are obviously on the side of out-of-state big gas, and not for your local constituents. There are so many who have marched, petitioned, rallied, been arrested, along with called and met with your spokesperson in Albany (me being one). I think this guy got you to finally speak the truth of where your allegiance is, and so therefore, lost your temper. Secret is out! Personally, I”m glad to know- about your stance and your how you operate. Good to know.

I think the Senator was pretty patient until the word “interesting” was tossed out there, which was rather dismissive of the point his wife had just made. I’d have blown a gasket just listening to this guy stumbling to even start every sentence he uttered. It’s pretty clear the guy who approached the senator had an agenda and the Senator played right into it. Kudos on the Senator’s acceleration from 0-60 though, i know a lot of car makers would like to achieve those numbers!

This guy should be shot (not literally), and I don’t mean the Senator. Guy walks up to him and his wife, at night, pretending he doesn’t know he O’Mara is (“What’s your name”), and starts going off about (let’s face it)a technical and obscure topic.

“I never was in his face” is the last tell-tale BS. My money is he isn’t even from the guy’s district.

I disagree with the senator’s position on LNG storage. The fact that there hasn’t been a collapse in recent memory does not make the proposed cavern safe for storage purposes. Any collapse, at any time, has to be taken as evidence of instability. The consequences of a cave-in on volatile liquified methane are so horrendous that we need to take every possible precaution. Nor should evidence about the collapse be classified when the public has an obvious right and need to know. It’s time to factor in all possible consequences, not just the rosy ones, and move on to a renewable energy future.

Threatened? I am not sure how anyone who watches this video could buy into the idea that he felt threatened by the individual asking the questions. It sounds much more like O’mara is upset because his stance is being questioned by a member of the public. O’mara is one of the largest recipients of money from Gas companies in NY government. He lashes out and says he is “sick and tired of people like you” What a way to talk to a constituent. No wonder people in the Finger Lakes have given up trying to talk to there elected officials and have started protesting at the gates of the proposed LPG facility. The questioner asks where O’mara’s information comes from and he gets very vague and defensive. If anyone should have felt threatened it should have been the questioner when O’mara flips out and comes after him. If you really think otherwise maybe you should watch the clip again.

@floydianslip, #5: I have to ask, since when do New York State Senator’s vote on Obamacare? And yes, when someone approaches to ask a question, in a dimly lit parking lot, he should have had his wife drive on, and told the kook to email him, or attend a Town Meeting. Then the kook starts leaning into O’Mara’s car, with O’Mara’s wife in the car. Lucky it wasn’t me, because it wouldn’t have been swearing that happened then. Do any of the lefty liberals have any respect for people’s space, privacy, or any aspect of other people’s lives? I don’t think so, right down to taking away peoples’ rights, if it suits their purposes. Like O’Mara said, there has been gas storage there for 50 years, with no incidents. If you drove by, you MIGHT notice some pipes, but that is it. The area is being aggressively assailed by all of the left-wing liberals from Ithaca, who absolutely have no respect for anyone who disagrees with them. They are rude, aggressive, and often step over the line of legal actions, when confronting people.
I am not sure how I feel about the proposed added storage, and many civil individuals in the local counties say their piece without becoming threatening, menacing or aggressive. Yet the left defends these kooks, when they push too far, and raise the ire of the person they are harassing. Yes harassing, because they don’t have civil discussions. They may start out seeming civil, but it isn’t long before they become aggressive, insulting and finally menacing. Senator O’Mara had nothing to apologize for, and I support him completely. And all of you offended by his outburst, I would like to see you when you realized someone became a threat to you and your families safety. I’d bet we’d find out that you paragons of virtue know every word that O’Mara used, and more. So, don’t get on your high horse and wave your self-righteous flag. Someone may be filming you, to try and embarrass you.

The bottom line is the guy videotaping was being a condescending jerk to both the Senator and his wife, he ambushed them in the parking lot, and he was harassing them. Just because someone is a public servant doesn’t mean they should be subjected to the abuse of every poorly informed constituent out there. I think Senator O’Mara was very patient with this guy, and while the Senator shouldn’t have lost his cool like that and used profanity, all bets are off when you start disrespecting a man’s wife in front of him. I’ll be contributing to Sen. O’Mara in the next election, good for him.

22.) Bob Brown’s tempest in a tea pot. Sen. O’Mara is in the clear, in my opinion. People need to learn how to be effective in their lobbying and respectful of private space. A little extreme to paint everyone with the same brush. The splendid wineries in the region are not so enthusiastic about the plan to increase storage capacity either. No hits against the wine makers, I suppose? Just ignore what doesn’t fit the stereotypical conservative rant and image of Liberalism. In Bob’s case, the “modified conservative rant” against those “Liberal-Lefty” etc. etc. , blah, and more blah!

While I disagree with the Senator’s position on the issue, I thoroughly condemn the way he was approached and recorded. I was not even comfortable hearing the first part of the confrontation. This was wrong and did nothing to benefit anyone. There is a right way to approach and lobby public officials, and this was definitely not it.

Senator O’Mara is a drunken maniac. If he felt uncomfortable, he could easily have said “this is not a proper venue for this conversation, have a good night,” and drove off. “Constituent service is our number one priority” it says on his website. Money is his only priority, at the expense of the well-being of his constituents. Vote him out, clean house.

You’re right Tom, you *should* know better…but you’ve clearly shown that you don’t.

If O’mara can’t restrain himself when being asked tough questions, and instead resorts to screaming and swearing at constituents, he should seriously consider if he has the capacity and temperament to continue serving in the best interest of the people.

I find his excuse that he “felt threatened” and worried about “personal safety” flimsy, at best. At no point (before his tirade) did O’Mara ask the questioner to identify himself, to stop asking questions, to leave, or to back off. Instead, he continued to answer questions.

State Sen. Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, is among the top 10 state legislative representatives receiving campaign contributions from the natural gas industry, according to a five-year survey by Common Cause/NY.

@OMaraSupporter If O’Mara did not approve of the way he was approached by the citizen, he could have pursued other options then showing his discontent in the manner he did. His behavior is inexcusable at the end of the interview and he needs to know that he enabled the interview to continue from the beginning. He had a choice of disconnecting from the interview at any time and behave like a gentleman.